6 kg of fake jewelry worth KD 80,000 confiscated

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry confiscated six kilograms of fake gold ornaments valued at KD 80,000 ($261,000) in various locations in Mubarakiya and Rai, and culprits were referred to prosecution. The confiscated jewelry are duplications of international brands, stuffed with nonprecious material in order to increase their weight, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the shops were selling fake jewelry “to make profits by illegal methods”. The discovery comes a week after a similar crackdown resulted in confiscating nearly four kilograms of fake gold jewelry worth KD 50,000 ($165,000) at a jewelry store in Rai.

The ministry is intensifying supervisory tours of gold markets to inspect the authenticity of the scales used in the shops, as well as the percentage of precious stones used and other commitments mentioned in the law, it said in the statement. The ministry will not hesitate to apply the mentioned sanctions against violators in order to protect consumers from any kind of cheating, it added. The ministry is also monitoring precious metal ornaments and precious stones, whether produced in workshops inside the country or imported from abroad. – KUNA